Engine ticking badly

[LookAtThatSHO]

After driving spiritually for a few miles, I decide to check the oil when I got home and noticed a pretty loud tick as soon as I popped the hood. I check the dipstick and there's barely a smidge of oil on the dipstick. So of course, I immediately add a quart of oil. I assume whatever damage that could've resulted in my neglegence has already been done. My SHO just hit 166k miles and has burned oil pretty badly since I've owned it at 120k. I'll do an oil change using 6 quarts of Casterol (w/ motorcraft filter) and have to add another quart or sometimes more 2k miles later. Quite a bit of smoke comes out of the exhaust when flooring it, the valve cover gaskets were done about 14k ago, and I don't believe the rod bearings have ever been replaced as I don't know its complete history. Below is a link to a clip I just recorded tonight. Please, anybody who has any input let me know what they think this ticking is. I've also been told I shouldn't rev the engine any more than 2,500 RPMs anymore. This sux, and it's not even summer yet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M8R6dQZ4fE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M8R6dQZ4fE


-Mike

 

[pimp]

check the tightness of your spark plugs.mine made a simular sound, one of my plugs some how backed itself out a bit.i have a spun bearing now on my 1st gen and it sounds crazier than that.but ya never know.good luck im sure someone will chime in soon.

 

[spazmoid]

Mine's got that same clicking sound, people tell me it's the valves, the injectors, or whatever else. All i know is that its been making the sound for as long as i can remember and i started driving it 40,000 miles ago.

 

[LookAtThatSHO]

check the tightness of your spark plugs.mine made a simular sound, one of my plugs some how backed itself out a bit.i have a spun bearing now on my 1st gen and it sounds crazier than that.but ya never know.good luck im sure someone will chime in soon.

Thanks for the response ****. I will definitely go out and check after submitting this.

I just had a buddy of mine who's a mechanic go out and take a listen. There is definitely something going on in what he believes the 5th cylinder bank (the one in front of engine closest to the ABS computer). I forgot to mention earlier that I did have the valve lash also done the same time as the valve cover gaskets. Another friend of mine here on the forum believe the noise is coming from a soon-to-be failing rod bearing. I've been instructed to purchase an oil pressure test gauge to see if the pressure is below 12.5 while running at hot temperature.

 

[pimp]

its funny how a lower end prob makes the noise through the top end.mine sounded like it was on the top side but that was not the case.maybe save the money from the test gauge a put it towards the rod bearings right away.trust me, if you can catch it before it gets like mine you will be a little happier when you look at the sho.ive heard of people driving their sho's with ticks for long terms and when a fellow sho guy heard mine he said he would not run the car again for nothing!!!sounds too bad , doesnt even sound like spun bearings he has heard himself in other sho's.

 

[LookAtThatSHO]

Thanks again for the input ****.

Update:

I spoke with a great friend of mine, Bruce in Albany, who used to be here on the forum. He knows for a fact the bearings about to go in the 5th cylinder bank. If you listen closely to the above video, you can hear a slight knock right around 14 seconds on decelleration. So, I'm now left with two options, with time of course being the major factor. 1) Immediately do the rod bearings next Monday and risk not being without a car if that sad day comes or 2) Wait it out two more weekends until the 26th and perform a swap with a complete rebuild of a 3.2L which I've been long awaiting to do on this SHO.

I believe I'll take my chances and baby the **** out of the SHO for now. Thanks again for the input everyone, wish me luck

 

[RStalveyARFF]

Bruce Malachuk?

 

[LookAtThatSHO]

Bruce Malachuk?

Yea, what's so funny? I believe Bruce to be an excellent mechanic and is well equipped with the necessary knowledge to perform the 3.2L swap for me. He performed transmission work for me 2 years ago when my 2nd and 3rd gear syncronizers broke, and he did a 10 out of a 10 job on the rebuild.

 

[smokekicsazz]

I had this same problem in my Saturn Sl2 series.....All of a sudden one day it started ticking just like that but a little louder...I checked the oil asap and it was low...I added 2 quarts and it still ticked so I thought like any other mechanic upper end rebuild or better yet get rid of the fn car lol....turned out after I investigated further all it was....was the #3 cylinder plug wire arching out cause it had some how got loose....I went ahead and changed the plugs and wires noise went bye bye......start simple and work your way to the more complicated.....It worked for me once I thought about it....How I actually found the problem i looked real carefully and could actually see the plug wire jumping up with the engine at idle....I then pushed the plug wire down with a pair of pliers and the noise went away...needless to say I was stoked!!!!! Hope all works out for ya!!!!!